Bleach 1: Drowned Dreams
by rylansato
Summary: A few days before Ichigo and his team enter Soul Society, Ukiha Sairen of the Tenth Squad tells his captain about the attack on his assigned town while Saigo Tokushi of the Fifth Squad wants to rescue Kuchiki Rukia but finds out about Aizen's plan.
1. Coming Back

Bleach: Drowned Dreams

A FEW DAYS BEFORE ICHIGO'S ARRIVAL IN SOUL SOCIETY

It was night time in Soul Society but it wasn't late. Lights were on all through out Seireitei which drowned out the lights of Rukongai. Then without warning the Senkaimon opened.

"Fourth Squad, report to the Senkaimon and prepare to receive injured." A voice said over a loud speaker.

Moments later, the Fourth Squad stood ready as the dimensional passageway opened and a small team of Shinigami emerged from it. A red haired, big breasted Shinigami with a lieutenant emblem hanging from her waist carried another Shinigami in her arms. It was Lieutenant Matsumoto of the Tenth Squad. She held another member of her squad; Ukiha Sairen. He hung there lifelessly in her arms. She gently laid him on the stretcher and members of the Fourth Squad carried him away. Lieutenant Kotetsu walked up to Matsumoto.

"It looks like he passed out from the pain. It's a good thing you got to him when you did. He should be fine now that we have him but I wouldn't recommend him to be up and moving anytime soon." Kotetsu said.

Matsumoto nodded. Kotetsu turned and followed the squad. At that moment a smaller Shinigami with white hair and sea green eyes appeared next to Matsumoto.

"Captain?"

"What happened?" Hitsugaya said looking up at his lieutenant.

"I'm not sure. The town was in ruins and he was barely conscious when we found him. I don't think he knew what was going on when we arrived. He did say one word before he passed out." Matsumoto said.

"What was it?"

"Kagura."

Hitsugaya returned his gaze to the departing Fourth Squad.

Meanwhile, Saigo Tokushi of the Fifth Squad sat with Yamada Hanataro of the Fourth Squad and Rikichi of the Sixth Squad outside of restaurant drinking tea. Tokushi hadn't been too happy these past few days ever since he found out that his close friend Kuchiki Rukia had been sentenced to death. Rukia was the one that helped him hone his Kidou skills and soon after that the two of them became good friends. They weren't as close as she was to Lieutenant Abarai or to Captain Ukitake but they were good friends none the less.

"It sucks that I can't get in there to see her." Tokushi said. "I envy you, Hanataro. You take food to her and talk to her. I wish I could talk to her at least once."

"She really doesn't talk much. When she does talk, she talks about a guy she met in the living world with fire colored hair that took her Shinigami powers and had a Zanpakuto the length of his body."

"He must have strong reiatsu." Tokushi said.

"He wasn't a match for Captain Kuchiki and Renji-san." Rikichi said.

"I don't know the guy so I can't say anything." Tokushi said. "What I do wonder though, is who was injured that just came back from the living world?"

"I believe it was Ukiha Sairen from the Tenth Squad."

Tokushi's eyes widened. "He's a friend of mine. Do you know what happened?" He asked.

"No I don't. He was unconscious when they brought him in. What I do know is that the city he was assigned to was completely destroyed."

"I'll check on him later to see what happened."

Hitsugaya and Matsumoto stood in Sairen's room waiting for him to wake up. Hitsugaya leaned against the wall near the doorway holding Sairen's yellow hilted Zanpakuto while Matsumoto stood next to Sairen's bedside.

"I don't know what could have done this to Sairen, who just happens to be the third seat in my squad." Hitsugaya said.

Matsumoto stood there silently. She wasn't sure what to say.

Sairen slowly opened his eyes releasing himself from his unconscious state. He realized that he was back in Soul Society and in the care of the Fourth Squad. He shifted his eyes and saw Matsumoto's face turn to his, then a few seconds later Hitsugaya came into view.

"Captain Hitsugaya? Lieutenant Matsumoto?" He said trying to sit up. However his movements were stopped by excruciating pain. Matsumoto stopped him from moving any more.

"Do you remember what happened?" Hitsugaya asked.

"The town was attacked." Sairen said.

"By who or what?" Hitsugaya asked.

"At first it was Huge Hollows. Then followed by two Menos Grandes."

Hitsugaya's and Matsumoto's eyes widened.

"What is the status of the town?" He asked.

"I'm sorry to say that the entire town was decimated. There were no survivors." Matsumoto said.

Sairen desperately fought back his saddened emotions. He didn't want to look weak by crying in front of his superiors.

"Tell us what happened from the beginning. Starting with your arrival." Hitsugaya said.

Sairen paused for a moment before starting.

"Here's the story…" Sairen began.


	2. The Beginning and a Flashback

The moon shone its light across the medium sized town of Kikitoru. A few people were out walking but one in particular stood above them all on top of a building. He wore the standard uniform of a Shinigami. On his back was his Zanpakuto with a yellow hilt.

"Strong reiatsu."

The Shinigami leapt from the rooftop and flew through the air. As he flew he looked around for anything that would seem like hollow activity. He was sent here by his captain to investigate the high levels of reiatsu coming from this town. As he glided through the air he saw two girls walking down the sidewalk. He was about to look away from them when something exploded behind them. The two girls shrieked with surprise and fear. They took off running.

"What was that?" One of the girls asked.

"I don't know."

"Could be a hollow." Sairen said to himself.

Then he heard a hollow's cry. A hollow emerged from the smoke cloud.

"Yep. It's a hollow." Sairen said.

The hollow chased after the girls. He landed near the running girls and unsheathed his Zanpakuto. The hollow raised its hand to crush the girls but it was cut off by Sairen. The hollow cried out. Sairen sliced through the white mask and the hollow faded away. Sairen stood up and slightly glanced to the left. He noticed that one of the girls had stayed behind and was looking right at him.

_"There's no way she can see me."_ He thought to himself.

He looked to where the hollow was before it was purified. Sairen leapt back into the air. The girl watched him leave. Sairen leapt from rooftop to rooftop.

_"There was something about that girl. She was cute but she acted like she could see me and yet she wasn't surprised by me or the hollow.__ I'll scout around for awhile longer before I head back to Soul Society." _

A few hours later, Sairen was flying through the air. He hadn't seen any hollows since the one he fought earlier.

"It's been rather boring here tonight. Oh well, I guess it's time to go back."

Then without warning the air was filled with the cry of a hollow. Sairen turned around and faced the direction from which the cry came.

"That's really close. Time for me to put it down."

He leapt into the air and went to find the hollow. The hollow was only a few blocks away in a residential district. It roamed around looking for a soul to devour. It stood about 9 feet tall on its hind legs. Its mask looked somewhat like a dog with its long snout and two appendages on the top that looked like ears.

"HEY!"

The hollow turned around to see Sairen standing there with his Zanpakuto drawn staring him down.

"I thought I smelled a Shinigami nearby." The hollow said.

"I hope you enjoyed it 'cause it's going to be your last."

"You sure about that……..Ukiha Sairen?"

Sairen's eyes widened.

"Oh yes. I know who you are. I could recognize that selflessness scent anywhere."

"How do you know who I am?"

"Oh surely you recognize the face of the hollow that killed you."

"What?"

"Don't you remember the building that was on fire?"

Images of a building on fire and a girl on his back flashed through Sairen's mind. Then he saw images of himself getting knocked around by an unseen force.

"Oh yes I remember but I couldn't see you clearly at the time. Well, looks like I'm going to return the favor."

Sairen held his Zanpakuto horizontally in front of his chest. He put his palm on the side of the blade.

"Transform, Kiroimaru." He said as he ran his hand down the side of the blade.

The black blade turned yellow and moved freely in the air like a whip. Sairen launched the blade outward toward the hollow. The edge skimmed the side of the hollow's left arm. It cried out in pain. It lunged at Sairen who dodged the attack by jumping into the air. The hollow spun around and whacked Sairen with its tail. Sairen slammed into a light post, knocking it over. Sairen rolled onto his feet. He launched the blade outward again, this time it wrapped around the hollow's right arm. Sairen pulled back and the blade tightened and sliced through the arm, cutting it off. Kiroimaru returned to its normal size but stayed in its shikai state.

"You're outclassed, hollow." Sairen said.

"So you think." It said as it fell back into a black void.

"Damn, it got away."

Then without warning, something pierced through Sairen's left shoulder. The hollow had appeared behind him and impaled the Shinigami's left shoulder with one of its fingers. He threw Sairen into a cement wall. Sairen began to fall from the wall but was hit by the hollow's tail and was knocked down the street. He landed about 30 feet from his previous position. He lied face down on the hard blacktop. He slowly moved his face to see the hollow.

_"Damn. I can't believe I'm going to be killed again by the same hollow.__Such a waste.__"_He thought.

His vision blurred for a few seconds then focused again. It went back and forth between blurring and focusing. The intervals between them varied. He could see his Zanpakuto lying behind the hollow. There was no way for him to reach it. Then without warning a blue ball of energy struck the hollow in the chest. The hollow stumbled back from the blast. Sairen didn't have the strength to move his head to see who had arrived. He had assumed it was another Shinigami but once they came into view he was way off. His savior was wearing a white shirt, black vest and a red skirt. Sairen assumed it was a school uniform. He recognized the uniform from those two girls he saved earlier in the night. He also saw some sort of guards over her forearms. She rubbed her forearms together causing a spark between the two and then threw a blue energy ball at the hollow again. This time the hollow was out classed. It pointed at Sairen.

"Kill you later." It said as it faded into a black void.

The girl turned to Sairen and smiled. Sairen recognized her from earlier before he passed out.

Sairen awoke several hours later. The first thing he saw was an unfamiliar ceiling. The light from the sun began to shine over the horizon and in through the window next to his bed. He sat up and realized that his upper body was wrapped in bandages. Pain still coursed through his body but mainly his shoulder. He let out a little cry of pain. He looked over and saw his savior lying on a couch across the room. Her eyes opened and she sat up stretching.

"You're awake." She said.

"Yeah. Thanks to you. Where am I and who are you?" Sairen asked.

"You're at my house and my name is Kagura."

"My first question should be how can you see me?"

"By looking at you." She replied.

"I mean, you shouldn't be able to see me. However I am sensing strong Reiatsu from you so that would answer my question. My next question is what were those arm guards you wore earlier?"

"My grandfather gave them to me when I was younger and told me to use them to protect people from hollows. Ever since I was saved from a fire years ago I wanted to protect people."

The moment Kagura mentioned her being saved from a fire, more images flashed through Sairen's mind, images of the girl on his back. He realized it was Kagura.

"Unfortunately, the guy that saved me didn't make it out. Something stopped him from getting out but he made sure that I got out. Some sort of invisible force threw him around and held him down." Kagura said.

At that, Sairen's memories were unlocked in his mind and he remembered the entire thing.

FLASHBACK

Sairen walked down the street and saw smoke up above the rooftops. He sprinted towards it. He arrived to see a crowd had formed near the building. He hoped that no one was still inside.

"My little Kagura is still in there." A voice said.

Sairen's eyes widened. He made his way through the crowd and ran into the building. He ran upstairs and searched around his fiery surroundings. He called out for Kagura but couldn't hear any reply. The heat was intense and he could barely see through the smoke. He saw that each room had an open door except for one. He ran to it and kicked it down. He saw a little girl huddling away from the flames. He ran over to her.

"It's ok. I'm here to save you. Everything will be ok." Sairen said.

The girl was completely frightened. The girl held out her hand and Sairen grabbed it. He led the girl out of the room and to the stairway. He hoisted the girl onto his back and ran down the stairs. As soon as he reached the bottom he could sense something wasn't right. He saw some sort of distortion in front of the doorway but he assumed it was from the flames. He ran forward only to be knocked back by something invisible.

"What the hell?"

Sairen looked around for an alternate way but it was to no avail. He looked to the little girl's face that rested on his shoulder.

_"I have to get her out of here even if it costs me my own life." _He thought.

He set the girl down and knelt down to her level.

"Now listen to me. I'm gonna get you out of here but something his blocking the doorway. I'm going to distract it while you run out. Ok?"

The girl frightfully nodded. Sairen stood up and grabbed a piece of wood that was burning on one end. He ran for the distortion. He swung the piece of wood but it didn't seem to connect. He did however lure it away from the doorway.

"GO! NOW!" Sairen yelled.

The girl ran out of building. Sairen now headed for the exit but was grabbed and thrown back. He hit the wall then hit the floor. He tried to get up but he was held down by the distortion. The last thing he saw was the ceiling collapsing in on top of him.

END FLASHBACK

Sairen looked Kagura in the eye.

"I am that guy that saved you from the fire."


	3. 2 Menos Grande and 1 Shinigami

A few days later, Sairen sat next to Kagura in a classroom. He was in a gigai so now everyone could see him. It was lunchtime and everybody in the room was sitting with their friends. Some of Kagura's friends had come over to join them. They were intrigued by the new comer.

"So Kagura, who's this new guy? We saw you two walking to school together." One of them said.

Kagura blushed. "Well…uh…he moved in next door."

"You two would look good together."

Now both of them were blushing and looking away. At that moment the building shook. Things fell off walls and people fell of their feet. A teacher appeared in the doorway.

"The building is collapsing. Everyone evacuate."

The students ran out of the classroom into a crowded hallway. Sairen stood in the hallway making sure that others were getting out. Kagura also stayed behind.

"Kagura, you need to get out of here."

"No, I won't leave you." She said "I don't want to lose my hero again."

Sairen looked back down the hall to see one more student running their way. Then without warning, the ceiling collapsed in on them. Kagura shut her eyes tightly and held her hands above her head in a futile attempt to save herself. She then felt her body being pulled. She then opened her eyes to see Sairen in his Shinigami form holding her and the other student. They were outside. Kagura looked back to the school to see it fall in on itself. Kagura saw the other student was unconscious. Sairen set down his passengers.

"What caused that?" Kagura asked.

"A hollow probably."

A hollow emerged from above them.

"I bet it was that bastard right there." Sairen said.

"Or it could've been those over there." Kagura said pointing to the left.

Sairen looked over and saw three more hollows appear out of no where. Hollows began to appear all around them. Kagura unbuttoned the cuffs on her uniform and rolled up her sleeves, revealing her arm guards. Sairen unsheathed his Zanpakuto. The two of them stood back to back and stared down the hollows that surrounded them.

"Let's get 'em." Sairen said.

Kagura rubbed her forearms together. The friction between them caused a spark and she then threw a handsized blue energy ball at a hollow. The ball hit the hollow in the face and phased it but it wasn't enough to defeat it. She threw more at it. After being hit a few times the hollow finally evaporated. Sairen ran his hand down the side of his Zanpakuto.

"Transform, Kiroimaru."

The blade of his Zanpakuto turned yellow and acted like a whip. It wildly flew through the air, striking the masks of Hollows, dissipating them. The two of them were going through the hollows very well.

"This is unprecedented." Sairen said. "Why are there so many hollows here?"

The two of them continued to fight off the remaining hollows. Sairen sliced through them while Kagura shot through them. Sairen sliced through the mask of one. He landed on his feet but unknown to him a hollow appeared behind him and was about to make the kill. The hollow's mask suddenly exploded. The explosion startled Sairen and he turned around to see a big hole in the hollow's mask. The hollow fell over and he saw Kagura through the hole in the mask. She smiled. Sairen smiled back but his smile quickly faded when he saw a huge hollow appear behind Kagura. Kagura turned around and didn't have time to react.

"Destructive Art 33: Sokatsui." (Blue Fire, Crash Down)

A burst of blue spiritual energy fired from Sairen's palm and took out the hollow. Kagura returned her gaze to Sairen.

"So, if we get out of this alive, do you think we could go have dinner?" Sairen asked.

Kagura blushed but almost immediately answered. "Definitely."

More buildings began to collapse all around them. The two of them could hear the cries of hollows. They ran in the direction of the howling. They ran through the hollow infested streets of the city doing what they could to take them out. Sairen saw a huge hollow fly in towards a couple who had wrecked their car and were stuck in it. Sairen raised his Zanpakuto and brought it down through the hollow's head. Kagura came running over to help the couple get out of the car. Above them the sky began to rip open and two beings emerged from the tear in the sky. Sairen looked up and was in complete shock.

"Menos Grande." He said.

He looked back to Kagura, who was still trying to get the couple out of the car. Kagura finally looked up and was completely frozen with fear.

"Wh..what are those?"

"Menos Grande. They are a lot stronger than the hollows we've been fighting."

Sairen pulled out an ear piece and attached it to the side of his head.

"Soul Society, this is Ukiha Sairen, third seat of the tenth squad. Two Menos Grande have appeared. Requesting limiter release."

Moments later a voice replied.

"Ukiha Sairen, you are authorized to use full force."

"What was that about?" Kagura asked.

"So that we don't disrupt the balance of the living world our power is greatly reduced by 80 percent. But since I'm going up against a Menos, I've been authorized to use full force."

He pulled at his uniform revealing the tenth squad emblem on his chest. Spiritual energy erupted from all around him.

"Now I have a better chance at taking one of those bastards out."

Sairen looked up to see red energy form around one of the Menos's mouth.

"A Cero?!" He said. "That beast is going to fire one of those here?"

He noticed it was aimed right at his position. He turned back to Kagura.

"KAGURA! GET OUT OF THERE!" He yelled.

She looked up to see the Menos fire a Cero at them. Sairen was thrown back by the explosion. Kagura landed a few feet away from her previous position. Sairen recovered from the blast and ran to her side. Blood leaked out of the corner of Kagura's mouth. Kagura's body was in bad shape. It was practically torn in half. Sairen held Kagura's hand; he knew she wouldn't make it. She knew it too.

"I'm sorry….that we…couldn't get to have…dinner."

"Everything is going to be ok." Sairen said petting the top of Kagura's head.

Kagura slowly closed her eyes for the final time. Sairen lowered his head then slowly turned around and stared down the Menos that fired the Cero. Huge hollows appeared in various spots between them. Sairen stood up and ran his hand down the side of his blade.

"Transform, Kiroimaru."

His Zanpakuto transformed once again. Sairen leapt into the air towards the Menos. He sliced through the masks of the hollows that got in his way.

"You'll pay for what you did." Sairen said with absolute fury in his voice.

He swung his Zanpakuto in a circular motion above his head. He then pointed it at the Menos Grande.

"BAN…"

Before he could finish, he was hit with a Cero by the other Menos Grande. Sairen slammed into ground hard. He couldn't move his body. He took the full blast of the Cero. He was lucky to be alive. Buildings crumbled at the hands of the two Menos Grandes that roamed freely. Sairen couldn't do anything to stop them. He his vision went in and out of focus and he was disoriented. Agonizing pain shot all through his body.

"I'm sorry. I've failed." He said softly.

Moments later, the attack stopped and the city was left in ruins. All of the hollows had disappeared, including the two Menos Grandes. Sairen closed his eyes. He could still see Kagura's face.

"He's over here." He heard voices. He thought he was going crazy but it was a voice he recognized.

He slowly opened his eyes to see Lieutenant Matsumoto above him. His vision was still blurry and he was still in pain. Matsumoto reached down and picked him up. Sairen closed his eyes again.

"Kagura." He said before he passed out.


	4. Confusion

Sairen awoke to the sound of a mallet hitting a piece of wood. It was the alarm. He rubbed his head for he had a splitting headache. He was still in the care of the Fourth Squad. It had been a few days since his return from the living world and Captain Hitsugaya wouldn't allow him to return to duty until his wounds were completely healed. He had thought about staying in bed for this one.

"Emergency Alert. Emergency Alert. Intruders in the Court of Pure Souls. All squads take defensive positions. Repeat."

Sairen didn't need it repeated. He was out of his bed and putting on his Shinigami uniform. He was reaching for his Zanpakuto when Tokushi appeared in the doorway.

"I take it you heard the alarm?"

"Of course. Who couldn't hear it?"

"Are you well enough to fight if need be?"

"We'll find out when the time comes but I need to report to my captain. I'll talk to you after this is over."

Tokushi nodded then ran off. Sairen slid his Zanpakuto onto his back and ran out the door. He was outside in seconds and eventually met up with Matsumoto.

"Lieutenant Matsumoto, what is going on?"

"Ryoka are trying to enter the Seireitei." She said.

The two of them watched as the sphere hit the anti-spirit shield and stopped.

"It stopped." Sairen said.

A few moments later it split into four pieces before completely dissolving.

"What are our orders?" Sairen asked.

"We patrol the area for the Ryoka." Hitsugaya said walking from behind them to the front of them.

Tokushi stood behind Hinamori as the Fifth Squad watched the four yellow beams fly off in separate directions. Aizen turned around to his subordinates. He was slightly smiling like he usually did.

"Patrol the Fifth squad grounds and be careful if you encounter any Ryoka."

"Yes, sir." The squad said in unison.

Sairen separated himself from the other squad members. Captain Hitsugaya was all over the place with the captain meetings and Lieutenant Matsumoto was with the other lieutenants. He didn't really want to be with the other squad members. He felt like he belonged with Hitsugaya and Matsumoto. He felt closer to his superiors than the rest of the squad. He turned the corner and came across a dark haired guy in white and a long, orange haired girl who reminded Sairen of Matsumoto. The two turned around and saw Sairen. They stood cautiously as Sairen approached drawing his Zanpakuto.

"I'm Third Seat of the Tenth Squad, Ukiha Sairen."

Ishida activated his bow and readied himself for an attack. Sairen looked over at Orihime and got a good look at her.

"Wow, you're beautiful." Sairen said.

Orihime blushed.

"Hey, your opponent is over here." Ishida said.

"Your right." Sairen said as he slid his hand down the side of his blade. "Transform, Kiroimaru."

The blade turned yellow and waved around like a whip. Ishida fired an arrow and Sairen swung his sword and it struck the arrow, shattering it. Ishida was a bit surprised. Sairen charged forward as Ishida fired more arrows. Sairen ducked and dodged the arrows as he got closer. He was only feet away when he felt something rip through the side of his abdomen. Sairen let go of his Zanpakuto and dropped to his knees.

"This fight didn't last long." Sairen joked as he clinched his side.

Ishida didn't say anything. He looked to Orihime and nodded. Before the two of them moved a giant figure landed behind them. It was Ikkanzaka Jiroubou. Jiroubou looked very angry.

"What did you do to me?" Jiroubou asked.

"I shot out your chain link and soul sleep."

"YOU WHAT?"

Jiroubou slammed his fists into the ground and Ishida and Orihime leapt out of the way. Jiroubou hit the wall next to him causing it to collapse. Orihime was next to it and was in danger of being crushed. Ishida was too far away to react. Orihime was saved at the last second by Sairen.

"Why did you save that Ryoka?"

"Because they beat me. And I heard they beat you. When one beats another they are given the opportunity to move forward not backwards."

Jiroubou didn't say anything. He clinched his fist and cocked his arm back.

"Binding Spell 1: Sai" (Restrain)

Jiroubou's hands were forced behind his back and held by an invisible force. He tried to break free but it was useless. Sairen dropped to his knees again. Orihime grabbed him.

"Are you ok?"

"I don't know. Your friend did a number on my side." He said as he fell onto his back.

"Soten Kisshun." (Sacred Duel Return Shield)

Two of Orihime's hairpins shot out and created a shield over Sairen. Sairen could feel his insides healing.

"I want to thank you for saving me."

"It was no problem." Sairen said weakly.

Tokushi was walking through an area that was partly destroyed due to Ichigo's and Renji's fight. He stopped and surveyed the damage.

"Man, there was one hell of a battle here." He said to himself.

Then without warning a girl's scream filled the air. Tokushi looked around trying to figure out where it came from. He then ran up the long flight of stairs. He then heard an explosion. He quickened his pace and leapt over rooftops. He saw a group of Shinigami on a bridge and realized what was going on. He jumped onto the platform just as Hinamori and Kira were being taken away and he saw Captain Hitsugaya talking with Captain Ichimaru. He couldn't hear what they were saying but with the look on Hitsugaya's face he could tell that it wasn't pleasant.

_"What is going on?"_ He thought.

He ran out from under the over hang and saw something he never thought he'd see. Captain Aizen hanging from a wall by his own sword.

"Captain Aizen." He said softly.


	5. Tokushi vs Aizen and a Flashback

A few days later, Tokushi walked through the Seireitei. He still had the murder of his captain on his mind. He felt sorry for Hinamori because of what it was putting her through. He wasn't too fond of the captain but he respected him enough as a captain. He wasn't glad that Captain Aizen was dead but there was another feeling that he couldn't explain. He leapt from the ground onto the top of the walls of the maze like walkways of the Seireitei. He stood on top of the walls and looked down at the area of the Central 46 Chambers. The area of the 46 chambers was always a bit of a soothing sight for Tokushi. Even though it wasn't a natural sight and nothing special, it was still nice to look at. Then Tokushi noticed something strange. There were no guards at the doors. Then he saw someone walking along the bridge, heading for Room 46. He couldn't tell immediately who it was but he could tell that it was a captain.

_"No one is allowed in there, regardless of their status."_ Tokushi thought

He got closer and to his surprise it was the dead Captain Aizen. Tokushi's eyes widened.

_"What the hell is going on?"_ He thought.

He felt like something was behind him.

"Oh Tokushi. It's a shame that you found out, even if it was by accident." Aizen said.

Tokushi leapt away from his captain. He knew something was up and that his captain didn't fight along the same side as him.

"What is going on, Captain Aizen?"

"Isn't it obvious?"

"No, not really. I saw your body hanging by your own sword."

"You thought you saw my body. When in reality you saw Kyoukasuigetsu."

"Your Zanpakuto?"

"Correct. It's not the water based Zanpakuto that I had everyone think."

"Complete hypnotism." Tokushi said.

"I knew there was a reason you were the fourth seat of my squad."

"It makes sense. Kyoukasuigetsu uses diffused reflection in mist and water to confuse enemies. What other way to do that other than hypnotism."

Aizen smiled and nodded in approval. He was actually impressed that Tokushi figured it out even if he had stumbled across Aizen by accident.

"It's rather unfortunate that I have to kill such a bright person." Aizen said.

Tokushi drew his orange hilted Zanpakuto. He knew he was going to have trouble fighting Aizen and it was almost obvious that he would fail. But he knew he had to try.

He pointed his Zanpakuto at Aizen.

"Betray, Hankotekikiru." (Rebellious Cut)

A chain shot out of the hilt and fused to Tokushi's arm. Aizen stood there with a grin on his face.

"Just because you used to be a hollow doesn't mean you can beat me." Aizen said.

Without warning Tokushi launched his Zanpakuto at Aizen. It was headed straight for his head. Aizen tilted his head to the side and avoided the attack. Tokushi pulled back his arm to retract his sword. He caught it then began to swing it. He launched it again towards his captain. Aizen caught it by the blade.

_"He caught it barehanded!"_

Aizen pulled Tokushi towards him and sliced through him with his own Zanpakuto. Blood sprayed all over the ground.

_"I dodged most of it and I still got this much damage." _Tokushi thought.

Aizen then pulled the released Zanpakuto off of Tokushi's arm, causing more injury. Tokushi stumbled around leaving the Central 46 grounds.

"Got to get out of here and tell somebody."

Then his Zanpakuto flew through the air and sliced through the right side of Tokushi's chest. Tokushi slumped against a wall. Aizen looked at his fourth seat Shinigami for a few seconds.

"He moved slightly enough for his Zanpakuto to miss his heart. He may survive, he may not." Aizen said as he turned around and walked off.

Tokushi lied there against the wall. He was still breathing. He needed to get to the aide of the Fourth squad. He wasn't too far away from them. He used the wall as leverage to get to his feet. He stumbled away from the battle sight with his own captain, leaving a trail of blood behind.

_"Yeah, I used to be a hollow. So what? I'm one of the very rare cases of a soul that remembers being a hollow. I remember all of the souls I've eaten and all of the people I've killed. I can see their faces like I saw them yesterday. I even killed a few Shinigami. Not many know that I used to be a hollow. I plan to keep it that way."_He thought to himself.

FLASHBACK

In a small town a few miles south of Karakura Town; a hollow was on the rampage. It stood on all fours and had multiple tails. Multiple Shinigami ran up to attack it but the hollow took them out with a swing of its tail.

"Sit upon the frozen heaves, Hyorinmaru," A voice said from above.

The hollow looked up to see a dragon made of ice shoot from the white haired Shinigami's sword and slithered its way towards the hollow. The hollow swung three of its tails destroying the attack. The sea green eyed Shinigami landed in front of the other Shinigami.

"Lieutenant Hitsugaya. This thing has killed multiple Shinigami." One of them said.

"Don't worry. I'll handle it." Hitsugaya said.

The Hollow swung more of its tails leveling its surroundings. Hitsugaya stood in front of it with a calm look on his face. He swung the chain from the sword's hilt and threw it at the hollow. The chain wrapped around one of the hollow's feet and it became incased in ice. Hitsugaya pulled on the chain and it severed the hollow's foot. The hollow howled in pain. The hollow's mouth opened red energy began to form.

"A cero?"

Hitsugaya leapt into the air and sliced through the hollow's mask before the hollow was able to fire the cero. The hollow dissipated into nothingness.

A few days later, a new comer to Rukongai awoke in an alley. He slowly opened his eyes and looked from side to side at his surroundings. He lifted his hands and looked at them carefully.

"These hands are strange to me. I don't recognize them. They look normal. They aren't claws."

He slowly stood to his feet. The moment he stood up his head erupted with immense pain. He groaned as he held his head. Flashes of memories sped through his thoughts. Images of fighting Shinigami, eating souls, destroying buildings, and a certain white haired Shinigami that ended his life as a hollow.

"So I was a…hollow."

He stumbled out of the alleyway and into the streets of Rukongai.

END FLASHBACK


	6. Sairen vs Tosen and the Conclusion

Tokushi awoke in the care of the Fourth Squad. He slowly sat up to see Sairen standing next to the wall.

"Hey." Sairen said.

"What happened?"

"You fought somebody and it would appear that you lost or if they lost they put a hurt on you."

Then Tokushi remembered what happened.

"I fought Aizen. Aizen is alive."

"What?"

"You heard me. Aizen is alive and is staying in the Central forty six chambers. I fought him last night and damn near died. He told me that he used his Zanpakuto to create the illusion that he died but he's alive and well."

"I thought his Zanpakuto was water based."

"In a sense it is but it uses hypnotism and we're all under its hypnosis."

Sairen's eyes widened. He darted out the door. Tokushi raised his arm towards Sairen to stop him but it was too late; Sairen was already gone.

"Damn, he's going to get himself killed."

Hitsugaya and Matsumoto stood in the Tenth Squad administrative office when a Hell Butterfly came in through the window. It landed on Matsumoto's finger. She stared at it for a moment. To a normal person it looked like she was just staring at it but the butterfly was really giving her a message.

"What did it report?" Hitsugaya asked.

"Ukiha Sairen is on his way to the Central 46 chambers. Something about Aizen being alive."

Hitsugaya's eyes widened.

"Come on, we're headed there too." Hitsugaya said as he and his lieutenant ran out the door.

Sairen ran down the corridors of the Seireitei heading towards Central 46.

"I'm going to get that damn Aizen. I've got to warn the Captain. With his help we can beat Aizen."

He was so deep into his plan that he failed to see a foot sticking out from an intersection corridor. Sairen tripped over it and fell on his face.

"WHAT THE HELL?"

He turned around and saw that the person who tripped him was Tosen Kaname.

"Captain Tosen, why did you trip me?"

"You are doing an unjust thing."

Sairen always hated his talk of justice.

"What are you talking about? I'm going to stop the supposedly dead Aizen."

"I can't let you do that. I will stop you with my justice." Tosen said as he drew his Zanpakuto.

"Oh stop with your justice. You don't know justice because you can't see. All you're going by is blind justice." Sairen sighed.

Sairen drew his Zanpakuto off his back. He didn't want to waste any energy fighting Tosen if he were to fight Aizen too.

"You are a mere third seat, you have not achieved Bankai and you cannot beat a captain."

"That's what you think." He said as he ran his hand down his blade. "Transform, Kiroimaru." (yellow)

He lunged the blade at Tosen who dodged it. Tosen noticed that Sairen's foot was headed his way. Tosen turned and grabbed Sairen's foot. Sairen used his other foot to kick Tosen but it was grabbed as well. Sairen used Tosen's strength as leverage by leaning up and punching Tosen repeatedly in the face. Tosen let go of Sairen's feet but Sairen grabbed Tosen by his head using his feet and launched the ninth captain into a wall.

"Didn't see that one coming did you?" Sairen joked.

Sairen noticed that Tosen had bandages underneath his uniform. Tosen thrust his Zanpakuto at Sairen but Sairen dodged it, grabbed hold of the hilt and kicked Tosen in the chest where Kenpachi had sliced through him earlier that day. As they were fighting, Sairen saw what looked like an explosion on Soukyoku Hill. Then he felt a powerful reiatsu and froze in his tracks. Tosen, unfazed by the strong reiatsu sliced through the unprepared Sairen. Sairen clinched his abdomen. Blood poured from his wound. He launched his blade toward Tosen who sidestepped it.

"You are not going to win." Tosen said.

"And you'll never be just." Sairen said.

Tosen was infuriated by the comment. He ran over and stabbed Sairen in the chest.

"I'm going to make you even more crippled than you already are." Sairen said.

Tosen twisted the blade as he slowly pulled it out. He then roundhouse kicked Sairen across the face, sending him through the air down the corridor. He left a trail of blood along the ground.

"I'll get you for that you stupid…" Sairen passed out from loss of blood.

Shortly later, Captain Unohana, Lieutenant Kotetsu, and Ogido Harunobu ran down the corridors and came across a trail of blood. Unohana saw that the trail of blood led to the unconscious Sairen. She ran over to him and began her work on him to save his life.

"Sairen has lost a lot of blood; hopefully I'm not too late."

Sairen struggled to gain consciousness.

"Don't try to move or speak." Captain Unohana said.

"Aizen is….in Central….forty-six." He said before he passed out again.

After a few moments of tending to his wounds, she stood up and faced her 8th seated officer.

"Please take Sairen to the infirmary. Isane and I have to get to the Central forty six chambers."

"Yes,Captain Unohana."Harunobu said as he picked up Sairen and took off.

Unohana and Kotetsu took off for the Central 46 Chambers.

The next day, Sairen and Tokushi stood on Soukyoku Hill. Tokushi had a sling and Sairen was on crutches. They walked through the war torn battlefield.

"We'll get those bastards one day." Sairen said.

"I don't see it happening. I think the orange haired Ryoka will do it because he beat Captain Kuchiki."

"Yeah you're probably right. We don't get any fun around here."

The two of them looked over Soul Society from their high position.

A few days later, a girl walked down the streets in the first district of western Rukongai. She had short brown hair, brown eyes and an athletic build.

"Where am I?" She asked herself.

She continued walking down the streets of Rukongai, not knowing where she was going. She did see the Seireitei in front of her. Then she heard a weird sound come from above. She looked up to see the sky being torn open and hollows emerging from it.

"Hollows." She said.

People stared at the sky in horror, and then panic ensued. Two Shinigami ran past her heading towards the landing site of the hollows. She looked at the one wearing a yellow hilted Zanpakuto on his back.

"I recognize him." She said.

She returned her gaze to the hole in the sky to see a Menos Grande begin to come through.

"I remember that thing too."

To Be Continued…


End file.
